The car whipped around the thin, meandering roads through the forest, trees looming over us like silent sentinels. The tension hung heavy in the air; each passing mile dragged us deeper into a trap we could not see. Ava had fallen asleep in my arms, her small hand clinging to my sleeve while she slept blissfully, unaware of the storm that churned around us.
I stroked her hair, tried to concentrate on the regular lift and fall of her chest, while my brain did aerobatic stunts. Ethan's eyes didn't leave the road, his gaze as sharp as glass, yet the silence between us was louder than anything else. We were on the move once more, the safe house far behind, but Castellano's ultimatum had planted an iron vice in my gut.
